Origins
by Ice580
Summary: Basically a bit of history. I doubt any of this will turn out to be cannon, so I'm just labeling this an AU off the bat. (Rated T just in case things get a little messy later on)
1. Chapter 1

Henry sat, his pencil hovering just above his paper. He could hear faint scratching behind him. He stared blankly at his sheet, listening to the sounds of Joey drawing rather than attempting to make a drawing of his own. After a few minutes, he heard the small clink of the pencil being put down. He took that to mean Joey was finished, and set his own pencil down. He turned, to see his friend looking at him, pride clear across his face.

The two had been friends since first grade, and they had always shared the dream of one day becoming famous. It had been sheer luck that Sillyvision Studios had hired the pair to create a small animation for them. They had sat down to come up with character ideas. So far, Henry hadn't thought of anything. He couldn't get his mind of the image of a dog, but found no way to incorporate the animal into the cartoon. By the looks of it, Joey had better luck than he had.

Henry stood, and peered over at Joey's desk. There was a drawing of a peculiar creature. It's face was cheerful and bright, with a large grin. There were strange black points on either side of its head, that almost appeared to be horns. Its body was round and black, with stubby legs and black shoes. One hand held a cane, while the other was on its hips. It had a bowtie around it's neck. A pointed black tail trailed out behind it.

"Isn't it cool, Henry?" Joey asked, admiring his drawing with wide hazel eyes.

"It looks like a happy demon," Henry bluntly responded, looking over it with scrutiny.

The two fell silent for a few long moments, before Joey quietly responded. "Yeah... It is a happy demon. It's a good demon." After staring at the drawing for a second more, he finished with, "It's a dancing demon."

Henry let out a chuckle. "A good demon? Joey, I think a 'good demon' would be an angel."

"No, Henry. A good demon. Think about it. Bad demons grow stronger from negative emotions. The use their dark magic to hurt others, and generate those negative emotions. Fear, pain, sorrow, etcetera. But good demons... Good demons have dark magic too, but they use it for good reasons. They help others, and grow stronger from positive emotions. Joy, love, hope." Joey held up his drawing, a smile growing across his face. "This is a dancing demon. He spreads happiness through performance; song and dance."

Henry stared at his friend in confusion. Joey had always been one for coming up with strange ideas, but this was by far the strangest. Joey didn't seem to notice, however, and continued to gawk over his drawing.

"Yeah, Henry! I like this. I think we might keep this one."

Henry shook his head. "I don't know, Jo. I don't think it'll go over well-"

"Nonsense! This is perfect." Joey set the drawing down again, beaming ear to ear. "This guy... He's cheerful, friendly, he's energetic, he's caring and kind, this is perfect! He's sweet and considerate, and he loves preforming, Henry can't you see how perfect this is?!"

Henry sighed and sat back down. "I don't know. I just don't know."

Joey pulled out another sheet of paper, drawing the character again. "This will be amazing. All he needs is a few adjustments and a name."

"A name? For that thing? Name it Lucifer and call it done."

Joey scowled at his friend. "No! Not Lucifer. He's a good demon, remember? Hmm, maybe we should name it Henry, eh?"

Henry leaned over and elbowed Joey in the side. Joey chuckled, before reaching up to ruffle his noticeably taller friend's hair. Henry responded by batting Joey's hand away, smirking.

"But seriously, what should we name it?" Joey asked.

"You made that thing, you name it."

"But I don't have any ideas!"

Henry pulled his chair closer to Joey's desk, peeking over his shoulder. He stared at the drawing for a minute, while Joey made a slightly different sketch of it. Eventually, Henry muttered, "Otis? No..."

"I don't think anything... normal would fit it, if you know what I mean."

"I know, I know... How about... Bendy?"

Joey paused, looking at the drawing. "I like it. Bendy it is." Joey scrawled the name across the bottom of the paper. Henry turned back to his. "I still haven't thought of anything."

Joey glanced back at his friend. "Well, what do you think would be a good companion for a good demon?"

"I can't get the image of a dog out of my head. I don't know why." Henry ran a hand through his dark brown hair, staring down at his paper.

"Well, I don't think our Bendy here would have a pet... What about a wolf friend?" Joey suggested.

Henry thought for a second. "That might work..." He picked up his pencil, and began a sketch. Soon, he faintly felt a breath on the back of his neck. He ignored it, and remained bent on his drawing. Soon, before him was the image of a cartoon wolf, standing on it's hind legs. Henry set his pencil down, quickly sitting up straight. A yelp sounded out from behind him. He spun around to see Joey rubbing his nose. His glasses had slid off, and they landed on the wooden floor with a clatter.

"Whoops! Sorry there, Jo." Henry quickly picked his friend's glasses up, handing them back. Joey put them back on. "Warn me before you do that next time."

"I didn't know you where that close."

"I _wasn't_ that close. You backed up too much."

"I felt you breathing on my neck."

"But I wasn't close enough for that!"

Henry rolled his eyes, and turned back to his drawing. "Anyways, what about a name for this guy?"

Joey scooted back towards Henry, half-standing to peer over Henry's shoulder. Joey may have been 24, but he was still only 5'3''. "How about... Franklin?"

Henry shook his head. "Not quite..." The two stared at the drawing in silence for a few minutes.

"Hmm... how about what you said the first time, Otis?" Joey suggested.

"Maybe... but maybe not."

"Then... Boris maybe?"

Henry hesitated, looking at his drawing. "Alright, Boris sounds good. Bendy and Boris." Henry began sketching the name onto the paper. "This'll be a hit! We'll be famous in no time!" Joey cheered.


	2. Chapter 2

"And, now!"

Henry opened his eyes at Joey's say-so, looking at the building in front of him. It was only one story high. Its walls were painted white, with a wooden doorway. He couldn't see any windows along the walls. Henry turned his gaze to Joey, who admired the building as if it where a work of art at a museum.

"I don't get it, Jo," Henry said, turning back to the building. It was normal. Uninteresting. Bland. Just like the rest of Anaheim, California.

Joey sighed, as if the answer was obvious. "This is the studio Sillyvision rented us to work on the animation!" Joey grabbed Henry by the arm and began dragging his uneager friend towards the studio.

"D'you think they could have rented us something better?" Henry complained, tugging against Joey's grip.

"Just wait until you see the inside!" Joey insisted, pulling harder. Henry relented, and allowed Joey to drag him up to the door, but nothing further. The wooden door swung open, revealing a small entrance hallway. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made out of planks of wood. It carried the smell of wood as well; along with something foul that Henry couldn't quite place. Pipes lined the ceiling. Joey leapt in, darting down the small hallway into the main room. Henry reluctantly followed him. The main room was built out of the same wooden planks. The same pipes ran through the ceiling. The only difference was the size, the small table, and the broken projector.

"We need to refurnish it a little," Joey said, giving a sheepish smile.

"No kidding," Henry grumbled. Joey ran back towards Henry, grabbing his arm again and pulling him toward one of the hallways that branched off the main room. "You haven't seen the main attraction yet!"

Joey was thin and boney, but he was surprisingly strong. Henry nearly tripped over his own feet trying to resist. "I can walk on my own, Jo!"

Joey let go with a huff. "Then hurry up!" He started off at a quick pace, Henry following behind him. The strange foul smell was getting stronger. After a turn in the hallway, a room came into view ahead. Joey all but ran toward it. Henry sighed, though he kept his pace. The sign over the door read "INK MACHINE". In the center of the room was a large hunk of machinery, covered and surrounded by splatters of a black substance. So that's what the smell is, Henry thought to himself. Ink.

Joey spread out his arms, as if he was showcasing the room. "The bosses at Sillyvision couldn't find a use for it, so they gave it to us!"

Henry looked around the room, trying not to breathe too deeply. There were a few pipes across the ceiling there too. Besides that, it was empty. Henry ran his hand through his hair, withholding a sigh. "Why exactly do we need this?"

Joey put a hand on the metal sides of the machine, gazing at it with adoration before responding, "It can help us get our work done faster. All we have to do is put a cel in, and it'll ink it in for us!"

Henry walked over and began to inspect the machine, walking at a slow pace around it. "How does it even work? This looks more like a makeshift pile of scrap metal than it does a machine."

Joey hesitated. "They never told me how it works, they just told me what it does."

Henry snorted. "When did they even tell you this? When did we get this place?"

"Ah, a few days ago..."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I wanted to check the place out myself, y'know. Find my way around, make sure it didn't look too bad."

Henry finished his inspection, arriving beside Joey. His friend's cheeks were red, making his faint freckles stand out. Henry sighed, patting Joey on the back. "I'm not mad at you, Jo. I just kinda wish you'd told me sooner."

"Well, at least now I know my way around enough to give you a tour..."

"Sure, just don't drag me this time."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter was a little bit short (at least compared to the first). I'll be working on this story quite a bit. I have a couple surprises in store ;) Glad you guys like it so far.**


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